Evil Angel
by Dances With Vampires
Summary: Edward, Bella and Hayden Cullen are safe in Juneau, Alaska...until one day, when trouble manages to find them again. It isn't a tracker, or a mate seeking revenge. How can Edward protect Bella from someone who only wants to help her? *PRE-BREAKING DAWN*
1. Forever

**Disclaimer:** I worship the ground that Stephenie Meyer walks on.

I owe mountains of credit to her for creating Twilight, as well as mountains of credit to my best friend, and cowriter, Zane. Charles wouldn't be the same without you.

* * *

**EVIL ANGEL**

**Dances With Vampires**

**1. Forever**

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* * *

  
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Bella periodically muttered incoherent nonsense in her sleep, but she did not move.

The dark–haired infant in the next room, however, began to whine with hunger in his crib.

Edward gracefully slid to his feet. Stepping quickly but quietly, he slipped into the next room. Smiling warmly, he reached for the child. A slight frown crossed his lips as the babe cringed from the cold hardness of his hands.

Hayden continued to cry, and it wasn't long before Bella was brought to consciousness. The cloudiness of sleep fogged her mind for a few seconds before the cries sliced through.

Bella staggered toward the adjacent room, nearly stumbling to the floor in the process. Upon seeing Edward leaning over the crib, she calmed almost instantly. "Having trouble, mister perfect?"

Edward looked over at her crossly. "Same trouble as always," he said. "He doesn't like it when I hold him…"

"Maybe he has a preference," Bella said, taking Hayden into her arms.

"I would say he has a preference; takes after his father like that." Edward smiled at his two most beloved as he stepped forward to embrace Bella – careful not to even brush the infant's skin.

"Careful," Bella said, though not out of concern for herself.

"You know how careful I always am. It's you that needs to be careful," he responded with a crooked smile.

How easily that could be fixed...but she didn't say that. "I know, I know – Weapon of Mass Destruction…what's the matter with him?"

"Little Hayden is trying to tell you that he's starving to death." Edward's smile twisted even more. "You should be able to read his mind, as well – or haven't you heard of the special mother–child relationship?"

"I've heard of it…now all that's left to do is to wait for it to kick in…"

His face calmed almost instantly. Lowering his head so that he could gaze into Bella's dark eyes, his fingers flashed forward to lightly tap her on the forehead. "Well, what are you waiting for? The boy's starving as we speak." Then, just as quickly, he leaned in to lightly kiss her.

* * *

Bella held and fed him, watching as Alice seemed to teleport into the living room. It didn't surprise her as much as it probably should have – she'd told the other Cullens where they lived a few months before. It was only a matter of time before someone showed up.

Alice glanced at her momentarily, and then said something to Edward too low for her to hear. Bella's eyes narrowed slightly.

Nearly as quickly as she had materialized, Alice's whispered conversation ended. Her attention turned immediately to Bella – and more particularly the tiny, squirming mass in her arms. "Darling Hayden, come to aunt Alice!"

Her enthusiasm was matched only by the speed with which she donned a warm pair of gloves pulled from her jacket pocket. Surprisingly gentle for the swift maneuver, she snatched the child up.

Bella was left to watch them and smile. She wondered why Edward hadn't thought of that.

Alice beamed as she babbled and fondled the babe. Innocuously, she slipped away from the couple.

Edward sighed as he turned his eyes from his beautiful sister to his even more stunning wife. "Bella, there's something that we need to talk about," he practically whispered.

She could barely hear him across the room, so she came closer, staring into _his_ dark eyes. "What is it, Edward?"

"Well…" He paused, considering how to continue. Putting a cold arm around her, he began again. "I want to reopen negotiations on our contract about you–know–what."

Bella's eyes widened – _he_ wanted to reopen negotiations, about _that_? What strange…wonderful…parallel universe was this?

"Not that I'm complaining," she said. "Of course not. But why?"

Edward examined her face closely. "Why? Do I need a reason to ensure that we are both pleased with our decision?"

She was still curious, but she felt like...if she said one wrong thing to him, if she made him think that she was at all nervous about this...then he might decide not to after all.

She shook her head. "No, we don't. Nevermind."

"Well, I know we agreed that I would…you know…after we were married. However, Hayden changes everything. You've seen how he shirks me, and I know that neither of us want him to treat his mother the same way. That is why I wish to request that we wait until he grows a little older – until he is more emotionally attached to you. That is all that I ask."

Edward rushed through his request in an attempt to keep Bella from interrupting. He anxiously awaited her response.

She would be twenty in a week. "How _much_ older?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I will monitor him telepathically every day, if you like. Please, love, do this for Hayden." His eyes accompanied his words in pleading.

And she couldn't refuse him when he looked at her that way. Never. "Okay…that sounds fair."

Edward squeezed Bella's shoulders lovingly. "We'll stay a happy family forever, dear Bella. Of that, I promise." He turned to watch Alice with Hayden, a smile growing to cover his face.

Hayden gurgled happily as he squirmed about in Alice's arms, attempting to wrap his tiny hands around her hair. She flicked it about, teasing him.

Glancing toward his parents, Alice's eyes met Edward's. For less than a fraction of a second, their eyes hardened, sharing similar thoughts. Immediately, their smiles returned.

Bella didn't notice this momentary change in their expressions – her reflexes were too slow for that – but she wanted to know what Alice had said to him before. Whatever it was, was it the reason she was here now?

* * *

"We'll stay a happy family forever, dear Bella. Of that, I promise." Three people lived temporarily in an apartment. Two of them looked at one another as the third – their leader – recited those words, sounding almost amused. "Think he'll be able to keep that promise?" he asked them.

Smiles were exchanged as the subordinates snickered loudly.

"Thinking has nothing to do with it. Any idiot would know that it'll be impossible," responded one of the other men. He offered an exceptionally toothy grin toward his compatriot.

They both knew of Charles's and Edward's history – Charles spoke of it frustratingly often enough – and of Charles' character.

Their forever wouldn't last very long at all.

"Too right you are, Samuel. Time to get to work."

* * *

"So, how is everyone?" Bella asked of Alice not long afterwards. "Did anyone come with you?"

"Everyone is doing well. Emmett and Rosalie are traveling around the country…and I must admit that I envy them somewhat. Carlisle and Esme are missing their family, but otherwise they're coping well. You should take Hayden to see them." Alice beamed at the infant. "This is their first grandchild, and they were extremely excited about him. As for Jasper and myself, we've been living with them, but we decided to come and visit you two." During her summary, Alice continued to play with Hayden, rarely looking up at Bella as she spoke.

Bella looked around. "Where is he?"

Alice smiled at Bella's naivety – an entire family of vampires could be here without her knowledge. "He really wanted to come, but he decided that establishing a place for us to stay was more important." Her eyelashes flickered before continuing. "We left rather quickly and unexpectedly because I had a sudden urge to see my little nephew."

That sounded like her, all right. Bella smiled too, thinking she'd probably smiled at Jasper's mention.

Alice nearly giggled girlishly. "Jasper will be here shortly, I promise. Sooner if he's lucky with finding a place." Her eyes flicked back to Hayden. After kissing his forehead, she handed him toward Bella. "Back to mommy you go, little heart."

She turned slightly to peer at Edward with one eye. "He's going to be even more gorgeous than his father." Her eyelashes flicked in a quick wink. "Maybe he'll be my new favorite family member." Something about Edward made her turn to fully face him. "Edward…your eyes. You've been stressing about Bella and Hayden too much. A nice hunt is what you need. No arguing, either – I'll watch after and protect the both of them."

He knew – and Bella now realized – that they were very close to black. "I can handle it."

"Edward, we all know that you want and need to go hunt. Don't worry, your little family will be even safer with you gone than here." A playful grin spread across Alice's beautiful face. "Don't make me use Jasper to force you, dear brother."

Edward's eyes widened in mock–horror – "Oh, please, not Jasper! Anything but that!" – and then he smiled at Bella. "I'll be back soon, alright? Tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

Calming herself as much as possible so soon after a fit of giggling, Bella smiled at Edward. "Okay. Have fun, and don't rush." She lifted Hayden in her arms and brushed her cheek across his downy hair. "We'll find a way to survive while you're gone. We promise, don't we, Hayden?" She bobbed him slightly to get his attention. He made a small, startled sound in response, which she took to mean 'yes'. "See? Hayden promises."

Edward sighed in resignation. "I guess neither of you want me to stay here a moment longer, then. Well, take care, and don't hurt yourself while I'm gone, Bella." He turned toward the front door. After pausing for a fraction of a second, Edward whirled back and kissed Bella. "I love you both."

The quiet whisper was followed almost immediately by a snap as the door closed behind him.

* * *

A black–haired, golden–eyed vampire watched him from atop the roof, his apathetic expression soon becoming a smug grin.

He left in a flash.

* * *

The closing door had left a sound vacuum in the house – even Hayden was oddly silent. Thinking quickly, Alice pranced across the room toward the phone. "I'll call Jasper and see if he's found a place for us to stay. If so, he can be here shortly." Her soprano voice rang out, even more full of energy than usual.

Bella thought while she dialed, then asked, "Why can't you stay with us?"

Alice's eyes lit up as she turned toward Bella, the phone hanging limply in her hand. "We didn't want to impose on you and Edward, but, if you insist, we wouldn't mind _too_ terribly. Besides, it would uphold my promise to Edward."

Bella nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I insist."

* * *

A pair of golden eyes followed a second form of personal interest. This one was exceptionally distinguishing from the first, due to her evident lack of locomotive coordination. He both groaned and smiled simultaneously as pleasure and anticipated boredom battled in his chest. Tucking both his emotions and expressions behind a professional mask, he began to shadow Bella with exceptional stealth.


	2. Old Friends

**2. Old Friends**

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* * *

**

Charles mentally growled to himself. He had watched Bella for all of a few minutes, and it was already evident why Edward took so much interest in her – if _he_ couldn't read the girl's mind, he was certain that Edward couldn't either. However, Charles didn't need telepathy to know when Bella realized that he was there. Sighing resignedly, he stepped forward. "Hello, my name is Charles. I'm a friend of Edward's." The greeting was impromptu, but he hoped she wouldn't read too far into the possibilities.

Given the outcome of most of her encounters with strange vampires – James, Victoria, Laurent, Riley – she supposed she had reason to be apprehensive…but his eyes were liquid gold, just like Edward's, Alice's and Jasper's. Just like hers would be someday. So she had nothing to fear from him. "Really? He's never mentioned you before. I'm Bella...his wife."

"Edward's wife?" The surprise in his voice was genuine. "In that case, may I ask you something slightly personal?"

Bella's eyes shifted slightly, wondering if she should say yes, or if it would end up being something slightly too personal. "Um…sure…I guess."

"Why isn't your husband escorting you to wherever you're headed?" Charles turned his head to peer at her with his left eye. "He's not the most loved vampire in existence, so I would think he would want to protect you better."

"Well, actually, the Volturi...nevermind. He's hunting, but he'll be back soon," Bella assured him, in case he wanted to wait.

"Hunting? You mean that he's out for a while?" He sounded as if he actually cared. Charles was being extra careful to have the proper body language and verbal pitch to keep Bella at ease. "Would you…" – he paused with measured uncertainty – "…like me to take you where you're going? I need both hands to count the number of specific vampires within the state that would wish Edward harm."

"Thanks," Bella said, glancing toward the truck. "But if something was going to happen, Alice probably would have seen it already."

Charles's open hands went up in defense. "I wasn't implying that something was going to happen. Just that it could. As for Alice…" – a warm smile covered his face – "…she doesn't always see everything that might happen, I'm afraid." He lowered his hands slowly, slipping them into his pockets. "If you don't think that I should accompany you, just say so; it won't hurt my feelings. I was just wanting to help out an old friend."

Bella had been prepared to tell him exactly that, but the last part...made her think twice. Maybe Edward would have wanted him to come if he couldn't. "If you want to." She opened the door and got in.

Charles paused for a moment before slipping into the passenger seat. "Thanks for letting me help out. It's been a little while since I last saw Edward, and I want to make up for lost time. By the way, if you have any questions about either of us, feel free to ask."

His easy smile belied his true emotions: this enigmatic girl was extremely annoying. Never before had he needed to play with a human's emotions so actively and blindly. If she didn't show so much promise...

He forced his mind shut on that thought. Charles couldn't risk that Edward might be eavesdropping. It was too likely.

"Why does he never talk about you?"

"He never talks about me?" Charles's eyebrows lifted in surprise. He might be working blindly, but he had manipulated enough people in his existence to have an integral understanding of the best methods. "I'm not exactly sure why that would be. Though I guess we didn't separate on the best of terms. A slight argument, if I remember correctly." He sighed, then added, "That's a large part of why I want to help him out now. Put us back where we were before everything happened."

"What was the argument about?" Bella asked.

"Well…" His pause was almost unnoticeable, but necessary for him to decide to tell her part of the truth. "On that particular day, we were discussing how vampires would progress into the future. Theoretically only, of course. Some of my ideas upset Edward, and we had an argument about it. In order to prevent anything more, we decided to part ways." Then he decided to turn the conversation to something that could benefit him more immediately. "Would you mind telling me a little about the current Edward? And yourself, of course."

She wondered when exactly he had known him, and where she should begin. "Edward probably has…more self–control now," she said. "And he's more…laidback, I guess. Trusting. At first, he didn't want me anywhere near werewolves, but he came around…"

Charles mentally sighed. This was a large part of why he loved telepathy - humans at large had trouble saying what they meant in coherent sentences. Incidentally, this was also partially why Bella frustrated him so very much. Yet again, he had to remind himself that she had more value alive than dead. "Edward laidback? What about werewolves? My apologies, but I don't think I'm following you appropriately."

"I met Edward in a place called Forks, Washington. You've probably never heard of it. Anyway, a group of werewolves live close to there, and I was friends with some of them, but at first, Edward was convinced that they were going to rip me to pieces." Bella almost laughed.

Charles was confused whether to join in the laughter or not. "Edward's right about werewolves, Bella. You should be careful around them." He watched Bella carefully, ready to adapt in order to keep her talking.

Bella shook her head. "You've never even spoken to one, have you?"

"Truthfully, I've only met a few. And none of those meetings were what you would call normal – mostly involving me running, and them chasing."

"And then being disappointed when you got past the boundary line…"

"Boundary line? What are you talking about, boundary line?" He squinted at Bella in honest confusion.

"The boundary line between the Cullens' land and theirs."

"Miss Bella, the werewolves that I speak of were nowhere near the Cullens' land. I haven't been in these parts for a long while." Charles's frustration was steadily growing. The conversation was going nowhere that he desired.

"Oh…then where are the others?"

"The others?" He nearly grinned at her acceptance of this. "Werewolf packs tend to spring up wherever vampires historically congregate. It's a kind of natural balance. Hasn't Edward explained all this to you before?"

"No, he didn't. I thought the Quileutes were the only ones."

Charles mentally calmed himself. He could afford to play this out. "Yes, there are a few other tribes. Though they tend to fluctuate in numbers over the years. It's a fact that many vampires attempt to ignore, though I never figured Edward for one of those."

"Maybe it's because…they've never really had a reason to attack him before."

Charles smiled and responded, "Are you implying that I gave them a reason to attack?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there."

. . . .

"Thanks for letting me feel like I was doing something to help Edward. I hope you have a nice day, Mrs. Cullen."

Charles smiled to himself as he eased into the growing crowd. Despite being extremely frustrating, the morning had gone well. A few more hours, and Bella would be ready to do anything he asked – within restrictions, of course.

* * *

A few more hours, and a strange vampire would target Bella. Alice watched the scenes play out far from the living room. While the outcome of their meeting wasn't entirely clear (it kept changing), none of the possibilities were pleasant. Edward would need to know about this. They needed to be there.

* * *

A crescent moon glimmered above in a nearly-cloudless pristine sky. Edward strode strongly along, seemingly oblivious to the world around him. However, his bright topaz eyes – once the deepest black of oblivion – absorbed everything.

Upon returning from a successful hunting expedition, most vampires' minds would be brimming with thoughts of how they had struck down their prey. However, the only thoughts that could find purchase in Edward's mind were of his beloved wife Bella, and their adorable son Hayden.

* * *

Bella had started to wonder where Edward was. Hayden was on her lap, and she was reading to him in the living room. Every few minutes, she glanced out the window. The dark, empty street remained just that.

Alice's eyes lit up as she sprang to her feet. "He's here, Bella! Edward's here, open the door for him. Quickly, before he goes for the window." She was beaming not only because her brother was present, but also because Bella's favorite individual was at the door.

Bella paused in the middle of her sentence, and looked at her. "Why would he go for the-?"

Before her sentence could be completed, Edward calmly strolled into the living room. His crooked smile displayed his immense pleasure at being home. "Hello, Bella. Haven't broken anything yet, have you?"

"Just a couple ribs and a few priceless antiques, nothing huge," Bella replied.

Edward glanced sideways toward Alice as if to confirm Bella's claim. Returning his gaze to Bella, he responded, "What am I going to do with you? Leave for not quite two days, and you've broken plenty. Leave for a few more, and who knows what else might be mangled beyond repair." A smirk spread across his lips just before he leaned in to hug her delicate body.

Bella leaned forward slightly, careful of Hayden, and put her arms around him. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Edward wrapped his arms around them both. "I'd rather _not_ wait and see," he whispered loudly in her ear. Pulling back slightly, he examined his small family. "How were you two while I was away?"

"We were fine," Bella said conventionally, looking down at Hayden.

"Fine? Come now, Bella, tell me how you were." He leaned back in to kiss her forehead briefly. Straightening, his eyes moved slowly to Hayden, leading Bella's with them. "Hayden isn't very talkative yet. According to him, you two slept the majority of the time."

"Well, it was only one day…and humans tend to have to do that for at least a few hours…"

Edward rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation. "You're as frustrating as ever, Bella. At least tell me if you enjoyed yourself or not. Please."

Bella smiled at his comment. As if she could really enjoy herself when he wasn't around. "It wasn't _so_ bad, I suppose."

Edward smiled warmly at Bella before quickly and firmly kissing her on the lips. Breaking away, he eased her into a nearby chair to recuperate. He kept a loving eye on her as he addressed Alice. "How do you think they fared?"

Bella waited for Alice to confirm what she had said, but she didn't. She and Edward shared a moment of silence, glancing over at her every so often, and she could only guess what that meant. "What?"

Alice turned to beam at Bella, but waited for Edward to respond.

Edward paused for a short moment before speaking. "Bella, we need to be more careful in the near future. Alice saw something about you being in possible danger."

Danger? From what? Bella's bemused expression relaxed into one of dawning realization when she was on the verge of asking them. Maybe Charles was right, and there were vampires around who wouldn't mind attacking her because of him.

Alice shrugged weakly. "There wasn't much - a vampire attacked you. I've never seen him before. There wasn't any indication of when, or where...because he hasn't decided that yet. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help, Bella..."

"Should I go out tomorrow?"

Alice began to shake her head in a negative response, but Edward cut her off. "Yes, you should go. It won't be long before we'll have to keep you isolated, and you will wish that you had stayed out as often as possible before." He sighed, obviously troubled by the need to allow his wife to possibly be placed in danger.

"Will one of you go with me, then?"

Edward forced a seemingly easy smile as he embraced Bella. "We won't impose on your normal day. Though you can be certain that you are well–watched and a split second from salvation when needed. I'll make sure that no one will hurt you."

If he was sure of that, then so was she. Bella embraced him tightly, enjoying his dizzying scent…before Hayden started to cry, and she let go.

Edward released her and took a single step backwards. There he stood in silence, absorbing the perfection of Bella's appearance and scent. Her warmth swiftly faded from the surface of his chest. A barely perceivable sigh indicated how very much he would miss the beauty of Bella's humanness when it was gone.

Bella didn't have to hear it to know how he felt: Part of him wanted it as well, but another part of him said that was wrong, that he was being unbelievably selfish. And another said that she was making a mistake. She didn't agree.

* * *

Charles sighed in relief – finally, the time to visit Bella again had arrived. He peered over his shoulder one last time, though his telepathy assured him that Edward was at ease and not quite as diligent as before. Slipping forward, Charles practically materialized before Bella.

* * *

_**What was your opinion of Charles after his official introduction?**_

_**And did you find the idea of a golden-eyed vampire as a threat interesting?**_


	3. Incentive

**3. Incentive**

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* * *

**

There were other humans who paid no attention to Bella, and assumed he had been there all along – they just hadn't noticed. Bella knew otherwise, and wondered why he was here. She stopped in front of him, and then smiled. "If you're here to do Edward another favor, don't worry about it – he's here."

A winning smile spread across Charles's face. "Actually, I was hoping to do a favor for _you_, milady. You see, I have been gathering intel' concerning those vampires that may wish Edward harm. From what I've learned, they may desire to use you in order to harm him." His smile slowly faded as he continued. "It would be for the best if you were a vampire instead of a vulnerable human. Could you shed some light on why Edward doesn't want you to be such?"

Bella's smile faded as well, and she looked away from him. "He likes me the way I am – human," she said. "He doesn't want me to give that up, especially when I feel pressured…and he doesn't want me to give up my soul." Her smile returned at that – what nonsense.

Telepathy wasn't necessary to know what Bella was thinking; it was written plainly on her face. Forming a mocking smile, Charles scoffed. "He still holds that belief? You'd think that he'd learn otherwise after so many years."

She was curious. "How many?"

Charles shrugged lightly. "We met about eighty years ago. By then, he had believed in his damnation for so long that it was nearly impossible to convince him differently."

"And it's impossible to convince him now…"

He nodded slowly. "That's where my favor comes in. With your permission, I can solve your problems."

Charles waited patiently for Bella to consider his proposition.

For a moment, Bella was tempted to say 'yes'. It was the future she wanted, the eternity she wanted, and now it could happen before her twentieth birthday. She didn't think he would kill her. He seemed safe and in–control enough.

But she'd made Edward a promise – she would wait until their son was older, and then he himself would change her at last. It would probably only be a few months longer. Just a few more months. Bella shook her head. "No thank you."

Charles nodded understandingly. "Just remember that my offer is on the table. If you ever change your mind, just tell me."

Bella smiled. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Charles waved his left hand in a small circle. "Be safe, milady."

The last syllable seemed to hang in the air for a moment, longer than it took him to disappear into the crowd.

* * *

As Charles strode quickly toward his 'office' – his small apartment in reality – he grinned. How long would it be before Bella took up his offer? A couple days at the latest, if all went according to plan.

Levi, a vampire in his mid–twenties with dark brown hair and bright golden eyes, looked up from where he lounged on the sofa. "Hey, he's back!" One second later, he was sitting up and settled in that position. "How'd it go, Char'? Did she say yes?"

Charles grinned victoriously. "Of course she didn't agree to it, you bloody fool. Why should she? Nearly–Perfect Edward will get around to it eventually." He enjoyed creating confusing messages with his body language and words - it gave him a sense of superiority. "No, she has no reason to agree. _Yet_."

"Yet? Are you going to threaten to kill her?"

Charles winked at Levi, his good humor still burning bright. "No, mate. I'm not going to threaten her. Instead, you're going to have the honors of offering her a little incentive."

"…_I'm_ going to threaten her?" Levi asked, a little confused as to where he was heading with this.

"Not threaten her, my friend. I want you to make her feel in danger of losing her life." Charles's eyes went from brilliant to hard as he continued. "Just remember not to _actually_ cause any permanent damage. If you do, I will punish you _personally_."

"Why? What will it matter to you?"

She was only one human, after all.

Charles laughed as he answered. "Do you think that Edward is the one that I want to hurt? Well, you're wrong. Edward is no more than a thorn in our side. Bella, _this_ human, has something about her that will most definitely prove useful to our cause. We _need_ her to join us."

Levi had little doubt that, whatever Charles hoped to achieve through frightening her, it would be achieved…but if she was so close to Edward, then he had little chance of convincing her to forget about him. "Should we kill him?"

"...We'll kill him together."

* * *

Bella stood outside later that afternoon, looking for Edward. She didn't see him amidst the crowd. Where had he gone. . .?

* * *

A very different vampire strode purposefully up the street. His stride was brisk and strong, carrying him quickly towards Bella. As a young human, Levi had been a member of a street gang – violence was what he did best. His mind raced through ideas about the upcoming 'fight' – of course, racing was relative compared to his general thought speed. Charles would get his request, and by his orders, Bella would escape mostly unharmed.

* * *

Somewhere close to ten minutes later, Edward still wasn't there. Bella turned and headed to the parking lot, feeling like a complete idiot – he was probably sitting in the truck, wondering if he would have to get out and track her down.

* * *

Attempting to keep from losing her, Levi picked up his pace. Glancing about, he was glad to note that few people were around. Slipping around Bella, he worked his way toward what Charles had described as her vehicle. Once there, he leaned heavily directly behind the driver's side door.

* * *

Strange, he...well, _someone_ was waiting for her, leaning against the side of her truck, but it definitely wasn't Edward.

Bella looked around. What was keeping him? She wasn't entirely sure she should approach this stranger without him watching.

* * *

Levi peered at her out of the corner of his eye. Taking note of her decreased rate of approach, he prepared himself for a quick sprint that should close the gap nearly instantaneously. Otherwise, he remained completely still. The closer she got to the truck, the less likely that someone would bear witness to what was about to occur.

* * *

Edward had promised her that she was a split second away from salvation; he wouldn't allow anyone to hurt her; she could be sure of that. So she took a deep breath, and then a few cautious steps closer to the truck and whoever he was.

* * *

When she was finally close enough, Levi partially turned toward her. "Hello, little lady. Come here – I've got something to show you."

Bella paused. Her dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Who are you?"

"Don't worry your pretty head about that." He had turned to fully face her, an expression of hunger and lechery clear for her to see. "Come here." He motioned her forward with his left hand.

Bella stepped back. Now...would have been a really good time for him to come. "Stay away from me..."

"Stay away? That totally defeats the purpose of my being here." A wicked grin spread across his face. "Go ahead, scream. Scream your lungs out for me; that way you won't be able to run." He shook his head for emphasis before continuing. "We both know that no one will come in time to save you."

Edward would.

Of course he would.

He would be there to save her any second.

...Wouldn't he?

"I'll warn you, my husband is a vampire…" She continued to back away, preparing to run.

Levi glared at Bella with piercing eyes as he snarled, almost psychotically, "Scream for him, my pretty. C'mon, _scream for us_!"

Bella, eyes wide, called for him.

He did not come.

She turned and ran for her life, part of her knowing that it was completely futile, but she didn't care.

Her scream was music to his ears. That had been his favorite part of what he'd done – each person had their own individual scream, and he had once memorized each of his victims'. A frenzied light came to Levi's eyes as he leaned forward before sprinting after Bella.

Levi gave a bestial growl, standing before her. He was attempting to do more frightening than actual damage. Though, in reality, he wasn't being too terribly careful with this one – as long as he didn't kill her, Charles would be pleased, and he had never been one to shy away from violence.

He mentally kicked himself as he felt Bella trying to crawl away from him - the fact that he was barely scaring her bothered him to no end. So he decided to step up the tempo a bit – snapping her arm without a second thought.

Edward found Bella suffering on the ground, with someone looming over her. He didn't intend to kill her, or even to bite her…so…why was he doing this…? Edward didn't want to wait and see. He approached Levi, growling, and then attacked.

Levi cursed as Edward slammed into his lower back. If it hadn't been for the growling, Edward would have gone entirely unnoticed; he had been too engrossed in playing with his prey. Hissing and squirming, Levi worked his upper body loose of the mass of limbs. A flick of his wrists, and Bella went soaring toward the truck – carrying his hopes that Edward would follow.

And so Edward did, putting himself in–between Bella and the truck seconds before she would have crashed into it and catching her.

Levi took the split second that he had created, and fled. "Not allowed to kill her, kill him together," he chanted nearly silently as his feet beat an impossibly fast rhythm on the cement of the sidewalk.

"Stay here, Bella," Edward told her, letting go carefully. He turned to face the direction Levi had gone in. "I'll be back soon."

Bella clung to him. "What? No!" she exclaimed. "No, don't leave me here alone again! What if there are more of them?"

Edward turned back to her impatiently. "Bella, please cooperate. There's no one else here that wants to hurt you."

Shrugging out of her grasp, he sprinted off in pursuit.

"Edward, wait!"

He didn't appear to have heard her.

She looked around, and almost frantically wondered what to do.

* * *

**_What did you think of Charles's favor to Bella, and the plan that he divulged to Levi?_**


	4. Safe Place

**4. Safe Place**

**

* * *

**

Levi cursed under his still even breath as he frantically sprinted down the street. This Edward was faster than he had expected – Charles would have to answer to that later. At the moment, he just needed to escape his intensely angered pursuer.

Even though Levi had never meant to kill Bella, Edward still had no intention of letting him escape or live.

* * *

Charles opened his eyes slowly. The vision of two males – Edward and Levi – charging down the street at what could only be described as 'breakneck speed' faded into the back of his mind. Replacing it was a view of Bella. Smiling, Charles patiently waited for the perfect moment to reveal himself.

This did it – it was too dangerous for them to put it off any longer. One vampire after another, ever since she'd been introduced to their world…and this time, yet again, Edward hadn't been there to help, nor had anyone. Granted, Edward had eventually come…but he was almost too late. Two more minutes…maybe even one, and...She hesitated to think about it.

Unseen, Charles's eyes bore into the back of Bella's head. How he wished that his gift worked on her...

Shaking the unnecessary thoughts from his mind, he silently slipped forward, waiting for as long as he dared; much longer, and he risked Edward making a second appearance. Bringing a worried expression to his face, he half–sprinted forward toward Bella.

Bella turned around. "Charles? What are you doing here?"

He came to a sudden, smooth stop just before her. "I ran into Edward a few blocks from here. As he ran past, he asked that I make sure that you were safe." Charles paused to examine Bella. "What happened? He was in too much of a rush to tell me."

"Well...I don't really know _what_ happened. When Edward didn't come looking for me, I went to find him. . .I don't know where he was. Someone else was there, and he almost killed me...and then Edward showed up, and he chased after him…"

Charles forced his face into the appropriate expressions as Bella explained. Keeping a comfortable distance from her, he responded. "There is a rather good chance that there are more vampires with that one that Edward is chasing. We need to get you to a safe place. Besides, you look horrible." He gestured with his arm, inviting her to take comfort in his presence.

"Well, if you're here…"

Charles didn't need to read her mind to know what logical thought was going through it. "Bella...I am a vampire...but combat isn't exactly what I excel at. Edward could knock me down even when he wasn't particularly angry. And you know that some vampires travel in groups." He watched Bella sadly. "Your best bet is for us to get to my people. You'll be as safe as possible there."

"Your people?"

Charles nodded. "Yes, my people. The coven that I live with. We've got a ranch on the outskirts of the city. You'll be safe there."

"Yeah, I get that." She looked around, and then somewhat reluctantly agreed – "Fine. . .I'll come with you for a while."

* * *

It was only a matter of minutes before Levi, in his attempt to escape, led Edward to a small ranch on Juneau's outskirts. He knew full well that Edward shouldn't be there...but the damage had been done, so all that was left for him to do was to retreat to safety amongst his fellow coven members.

They inspected the new arrival with wary and curious golden eyes. At least, some of them were golden. Some of them were much more an orange-red – newborns who had never tasted human blood, and weren't entirely happy about that.

Edward looked around at all of them.

So Charles was actually going through with it…

The moment was almost as awkward as could possibly be. Everyone in the yard simply stood, staring at each other in confusion. Of course Charles had spoken of Edward to them all, but his sudden presence was unexplainable.

Levi, being the only one who actually knew what was going on, was the first to react. He snarled at his companions to attack the intruder, then sprinted behind them and began to shove them forward. He couldn't beat Edward alone, but the group combined definitely could.

Edward – suddenly tense and alert – stepped back and moved into a defensive position. He watched them, waiting to see which of them would be the first to decide to comply with Levi's orders.

They all decided to comply – they were loyal to Charles, who apparently wouldn't care if they killed him…they seemed to think it would please him, actually…and loyal to their own, one of which they believed he had threatened. Some thought he was a threat to all of them. He couldn't fight all of them at once.

The coven spread out into a tactical semi–circle, its members slowly moving to encircle Edward. Levi served as the center of the line, rooting it with his newfound calm and authority. His grin – growing with cockiness – steadily spread across the visages of his comrades, almost as if it were a contagious disease. Suppressing his unnatural urge to play with his prey, Levi's body language clearly instructed his companions to attack intelligently.

Edward lingered in that spot for a few more moments, the futility of the situation becoming glass–clear. If he tried to single one of them out, the rest would gang up on him and tear him apart. He backed away again, turned, and ran in the opposite direction.

Levi's authority over his companions remained as they charged after their fleeing victim. However, his attempt at order utterly failed – he was a natural fighter, not a leader. Therefore, the pursuit of Edward was almost as chaotic and disorganized as possible. A snarl contorted Levi's face as that realization dawned upon him.

Edward realized, frustrated, that he couldn't go back to her now – he couldn't lead them to her. He couldn't go home either, because even with Alice and Jasper fighting alongside him, three to eleven were still almost impossible odds.

Levi nearly uprooted a tree in anger as he charged after Edward. He could hear – and occasionally glimpse – his companions crashing through the forest. However, it seemed that they couldn't hear him. Every time he called out an order in attempt to organize them, they barely moved to respond. At this rate, Edward was going to escape, and Levi knew it.

Edward was faster than them, faster than anyone. Thank the God that would someday turn his back on him for that. So he might not be able to fight them…but losing them…was possible.

* * *

Smiling warmly, Charles gently took Bella's arm and led her to his car. Before climbing in and starting the engine, he took the time to bind her wounds (more to put her at ease than in any attempt to actually help – turning her would do more good).

It didn't help her as much as she would have liked, but she decided to thank him for trying. He didn't have to.

Charles smiled warmly again at Bella's thanks. Her pause clearly indicated her slight confusion concerning what to do (which was an emotion of hers that he desired and feared simultaneously). Attempting to channel her intentions in line with his, Charles swiftly moved them into the car and started the engine with a flick of his wrist.

"We'll be there in a few minutes, milady. Please keep your senses alert; your safety cannot be assured until we reach my coterie." The warning was included in an attempt to keep Bella's mind on her 'danger', and not on the consequences of what was in store.

The car smoothly sped through the city toward the outskirts, and Charles's unique ranch. Charles made small talk along the way, attempting to keep Bella calm and distracted. Mentally, he was praying that Edward didn't accidentally appear on the side of the road – that would ruin anyone's day.

* * *

"Alice? Jasper?"

Edward came inside, having finally escaped his attackers.

* * *

Juneau was behind them, and they weaved their way through thick forest. The hillsides surrounding the city were swamped in an ocean of towering trees.

"Have you always been...?" Bella started to ask, wondering how to phrase her question.

Charles looked over at Bella – his obvious ignorance of the road in front of them strangely offput by the perfect smoothness of the ride – as he attempted to divine the meaning of her question. Though his calm face revealed little, he was seething inside. His inability to read Bella bothered him to no end. The sooner she was turned and claimed, the better. Finally, Charles coughed lightly and answered Bella's question with another question. "What do you mean, milady?" He watched her face intently – the majority of her response would be written there.

She settled for, "You've never hunted humans before?"

Charles's frustration melted away when he heard her response. "No, humans have never been a part of my diet. Not even _once_ have I failed in my conviction. You see, I must set an infallible example for my coterie."

Explaining, or, perhaps more accurately, bragging the mission of his force was almost Charles's favorite pastime.

"Is he one of them? The one that Edward's after?"

Golden–eyed vampires were rare...and as such, they tended to band together...and if he wasn't one of the Cullens, then it was...quite possible that he was...

Charles answered without hesitation. "I don't believe that any of my family would commit an act so horrible as killing a human. However, if I find out that he _is_ one of them...allow yourself to imagine that he will be punished severely. Breaking his oath would be an act against myself." He growled deep within his throat, giving weight to his claim.

And so she hoped, for both of their sakes, that none of them had gone against him.

* * *

The air was thick with emotional calm. Despite this fact, Alice was would–have–been–teary–eyed and huddled on the couch. Jasper's arms were around her, offering physical comfort in addition to his emotional urging.

At the sound of Edward's voice, Alice looked up at him. "Edward…where's Bella?"

Edward entered the living room and then stopped dead when he saw them like that. "You haven't heard from her?"

There was no need to panic, he reminded himself – she was probably still waiting for him. But, if she was…then why was Alice so upset?

Alice shook her head sadly. "No, we haven't heard from her…but I know that something is wrong."

Jasper comforted her quietly as he spoke. "We need to find her as soon as possible, Edward. Alice saw Bella being harmed."

* * *

The vast, wide-open valley beyond the city and forest was green, surrounded by snowcapped mountains. Bella stood nearby the car, her calm faltering within a few moments. Besides the bears and wolves that were growling and snarling loudly somewhere nearby. . .they appeared to be alone. "Where is everyone?"

Charles frowned at Bella's question. It was an excellent one, and he was clueless as to the answer. Taking her hand, he began to quickly lead her toward a large building – one of the few on the property with windows. "Let's get you inside. Then I'll find the others, and introduce you all." His eyes darted about as he rushed along, searching for even a hint of where his companions might have been.

Their scents led north, toward the forest, and their thoughts were becoming clearer. They were returning…disappointed?

Disappointed that they had lost Edward.

This should be an interesting topic of conversation.

Bella could do nothing more than to allow him to drag her along, through the front door of the house. "I _am_ capable of walking there by myself, you do know that?"

At her rebuke, Charles released his grip on her hand. "My apologies, milady. Your safety is my first intention. I didn't sense my people about the compound, and their absence is a mystery to me. Just in case something is wrong, I would prefer to have you inside where it's easier to protect you."

Charles stepped toward a window, cautiously glancing outside. His warning was more for show than reality. He was fairly certain that nothing was actually wrong; he would know the full story within moments.

Bella flexed her hand momentarily, and then went to join him at the window. Small, distant figures were emerging swiftly from the forest, headed toward the buildings. "I'm guessing that's them now."

Charles stared through the pane of glass in silence for a short while, collecting as many explanatory thoughts as possible. Upon hearing Bella's comment, he nodded and responded, "Yes, those are my family. With them here, you'll be safer than anywhere else."

(When would he stop pounding that into her head, she wondered?)

Then, he went completely silent. He hadn't searched specifically for Levi's thoughts because of his expected absence. However, the very man that he least wanted to see had just exited the woods along with the rest of the family.

* * *

Alice composed herself enough that she could explain relatively calmly. She spoke slowly, pausing to sort through the images of her vision. "Someone attacked her...was feeding off of her...They were holding her by the arm, and there were others surrounding them, so...even if she escaped his grasp, she would be trapped...she would die anyway...They were...in a dark room with wooden furnishings. Sunlight was streaming through a nearby window. Otherwise...there was nothing..."

"That isn't much to go on, but we'll do our best," Jasper said, standing. Edward went to retrieve Hayden from upstairs.

It was incredibly dangerous, irresponsible and stupid to bring a human infant to a possible vampire fight, but they couldn't just leave him there unattended.

Alice nodded as she stood. "I'll keep working on trying to find more clues. Hopefully we get there in time to save her." She smiled involuntarily as Edward walked in, carrying an almost uncooperative Hayden in his arms. "If anything happens to Bella, the entire family will be very upset. Let us hope whoever is doing this realizes that." As she quietly voiced her warning to the world, she offered her arms to Hayden.

Edward shook his head slightly, though not disagreeing with what she had said. "Are you sure she isn't still there?" he asked in the Porsche.

Alice pulled smoothly into the street. Though she was concentrating on answering Edward's question, her lack of attention didn't seem to inhibit her ability to drive. "Well...the interior looked rather rustic. It's possible, but unlikely."

It was unlikely that Charles had come here – here, where he was, of all places – for no reason at all, unlikely that he didn't want him reading his mind, that his scent was around their house and her for no reason at all…and it was unlikely that none of this had anything to do with Bella being threatened now. Everything had been perfect until two days ago. It all made sense. For once, Edward wanted to be wrong.

"…You didn't see _who_ was attacking her, did you?" he asked quietly and suspiciously, although part of him already knew the answer, and was wondering why he didn't just say it.

Alice turned to face Edward before responding quietly. "Like I said before, it was a male vampire. He was slightly above average in height, and he had black hair and gold eyes. I couldn't really make out anything else because of his position." She paused for a moment, exaggerating concentration on a particularly sharp turn. "You have an idea who it might be, don't you?"

An understatement if he had ever heard one. "I know exactly who it might be," Edward replied darkly. "Pull over, Alice, I'm driving."

As she brought the car to a swift but smooth stop, Alice peered at Edward expectantly. "Who is it, Edward? Who is it, why is he attacking Bella, and how do we stop him?"

Cold and delusional he may have been, but Charles was no murderer…yet Alice had seen…clear as day…

"I don't know why Charles is after her," Edward answered. "But we're going to find out." He handed Hayden off to her, got out, and went around to her door.

Using her perfect grace to good effect, Alice slipped from her seat into Edward's vacant one. Hayden's happy gurgling brought a smile to her lips, but it disappeared quickly as thoughts of Bella and her danger resurfaced. Her naturally happy nature subdued, she sat quietly, stroking the child's downy hair.

Edward's intensifying rage was directed inward. "I am an idiot." The Porsche was humming again in a flash. "I knew he'd been around her, and I knew that he was hiding something from me…and I just left her there, half–scared to death. No doubt he showed up and played on that somehow…" His shaking hands were gripping the steering wheel tight. He released it, worried it would break, and then turned into the street again.

* * *

"Coterie" = an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose.

* * *

**_What did you think of what Charles told Bella in this chapter? Was she right to go with him?_**

**_And what of Charles's and Levi's thus far anonymous coven?_**


	5. Traitor

**5. Traitor**

**

* * *

**

Bella didn't notice Charles tense, or the source of his tension. Levi was still too far away to be recognizable to her, even if she had been paying attention…but he was getting closer all the while. "That's where you're wrong," she told him, smiling. "I've never been safer anywhere than when I was with mine."

Attempting to hide his distractedness, Charles cocked his head to peer into Bella's eyes. "That was before, when it was just you and Edward, milady. Now, you'll be safer here than with him." Though partially intended to be a cutting remark toward Edward, his statement was full of honesty. Bella truly would be safer with him than with Edward – as of tonight, at least.

"Until the fight's over," Bella allowed, looking back out of the window.

Charles shook his head slowly. "You would be correct…if this was a normal fight. But I fear that it might just be the first battle of a war. Edward has made his share of enemies over the years." He turned back to watch the advancing vampires.

Of course, she could have no way of knowing that when he spoke of Edward having made enemies, he was referring to himself and his coven.

"What if he wasn't one of them?" Bella asked sideways, sounding hopeful. "He could've just been someone random..."

Or she could be correct, and he lived here.

Levi and the others – ten others, she had counted – were closing in on the house much faster than was humanly possible. She saw him, but he didn't see her…and she wondered how he could be talking so casually with them now when not an hour before, he'd been…hunting her…a monster…a vampire. What would he do when he saw her here? She was silent.

Charles shrugged slightly without looking back. "It's all about probability. Chances are that it was an enemy of Edward's."

His eyes were boring into Levi's approaching form. Not for the first time in his existence, Charles wished he could do a little bit more than simply read minds – perhaps the ability to mentally speak to someone, or the ability to kill them with a thought.

Bella didn't move, even though every instinct was telling her to run while she still had the chance, while Levi was still outside and unaware. "It isn't."

Charles sighed before turning and responding. "Milady, I apologize for anything that I said to upset you. We'll know before long what's actually going on. Until then, we just need to ensure your safety."

If he wanted her to be safe, then he would take her away from here, to where Edward was. At home with Alice and Jasper, pacing and worrying? Or… She tried desperately to push the images of a bonfire, lit on snow-white stone fragments instead of wood, out of her head. The fight was over; that much clear, and the person that she prayed hadn't emerged the victor was filing through the door with the other strangers. Where was Edward? What had he done to him?

She didn't run. She moved behind Charles.

Charles didn't need to read Bella's mind to know what her body language was saying. Despite his great urge to rip Levi to shreds, he remained calm. Bella might not cooperate, but he was still going to try his best to manipulate her. Considering that all of his people were now in the room, she wasn't going anywhere without his permission. Hopefully, Bella would point out Levi as the culprit – it would give him a wonderful reason to have the bastard killed as a traitor.

One of "his people" – a dark-haired woman whose features looked somewhat Asian – looked at her from across the room, surprised (she even blinked a couple of times), while asking him, "Who is she? Why's she here?"

Charles smiled lightly at the assembled vampires – even going so far as to completely ignore Levi and the complications that his presence might create. "My family, this is Bella Cullen. Due to a recent attempt upon her life – one carried out because of her connection to Edward Cullen, I fear – she is hereby under our protection. Let it be known that any harm caused to Bella will be considered by me as a treasonous act by whomever is responsible." He spoke firmly, unquestionably.

He was clearly their leader – Bella noted, looking around – and his word was clearly law…thus a nearby redheaded girl with orange-red eyes looked away from her, down at the wooden living room floor, quietly whining and restraining herself, and several of the others nodded in affirmation.

The first of two to speak was her attacker – the tall, somewhat muscular vampire with short, spiked dark brown hair and liquid golden eyes…which made her wonder – what had he been doing, attacking her in the first place? The answer came to her almost immediately: perhaps like Laurent, he cheated from time to time. Abstaining was difficult for most.

The dark–haired vampire, the traitor, gave Charles an amused grin. "What are we, Charles? Southerners? We won't do anything to her." The traitor, the hypocrite.

Levi was relieved that Charles didn't seem to be upset with him, not even for appearance's sake - Bella hadn't told him who'd done it, and with any luck her silence would continue and he would not be harmed for following orders. He hoped that he would get more orders of that sort in the future, and that if, in consequence, he had to run from anyone, they wouldn't be quite as fast.

The second was a fair–haired teenage girl. Her eyes, and those of the girl next to her – they looked alike, were they twins? – were kind, as was her tone…though she couldn't help but sound a little insulted. "Yeah," Elizabeth agreed with Levi. "She's good with us."

Charles looked back at Bella then. She still looked slightly panicked, but was visibly calming. He was on the verge of telling her that Elizabeth was right – she needn't worry, and could come out of hiding. But then he thought better of it, and looked ahead.

There was a short pause, before another dark-haired male around Charles's and Levi's age spoke up.

"Who was it?" Duncan asked. "Anyone that we know?"

Levi had led Edward here, so Edward would know where to find her, and that gave him _so_ much less time to act.

Levi had had the entire coven attack Edward – the entire coven except _him_. He'd told Levi that he wanted to be a part of the hunt. He could have missed out on all the fun.

And Levi had had the brains, or lackthereof, to show his face here in front of Bella, all but asking…_forcing_…him to kill him. If he didn't, then Bella might wonder why, and she would be even less cooperative…

Charles sighed. "Rather well, unfortunately…"

Levi's snow–white face paled. What was he doing?

Bella was also confused - How did Charles know? She hadn't told him.

Charles gracefully stepped between Bella and Levi, his motions obviously protective. With a slight snarl, he glared at his scapegoat. "Bella, I'm ashamed to say that one of my own would stoop so low as to attack you. If it is your desire, I can have him ripped limb from limb. As for you, Levi, keep still and silent; else your life is forfeit."

How did he…?

She couldn't make any sense of it.

Neither could Levi, who wanted to speak out in protest…to remind him that it had been his idea (who cared if she heard, if he was going to kill him? _Screw_ him!)…to, at the very least, ask for the others' help…but he did nothing more than return the glare, just as coldly. Even now, he couldn't seem to bring himself to defy him.

Bella decided not to dwell on it – he would explain soon – and instead she thought about his proposal. "…After he tells me what happened to Edward."

Confusion showed plainly upon many of the surrounding faces. If Charles wasn't careful, he would have a large problem upon his hands – of this he was extremely aware. Narrowing his eyes in concentration, Charles slowly began to speak.

"She smells sweet, so very sweet. Thirsty, hungry for blood – her blood." Charles frowned slightly before continuing. "He attacked without warning. All razor teeth and burning hate. I ran – I was honestly afraid." Sighing, Charles opened his eyes and slowly gazed around his family. "What happened next is known to everyone but dear Bella. Levi fled here, expecting to find safety. As a family, you stood resolute – refused to allow harm to come to our brother. And thus, Edward retreated into the forest." Charles turned slowly to face Bella. "What punishment do you desire for him, milady?"

Bella misunderstood at first – she hadn't dreamed that he was speaking for Levi. She'd thought he was talking about himself – what he thought of her. But Edward hadn't attacked _him_, and he hadn't run from Edward – Levi had. There was a vague sense of understanding…but she still couldn't pinpoint it – how he knew all of this. Levi hadn't said a thing, hadn't even opened his mouth...

And then it clicked.

"Kill him…just…kill him."

There were. . .other options, but wasn't asking this enough?

Sadness spread across Charles's face. However, he bowed his head in acceptance and spun to face Levi's startled form. "Levi, you have been found guilty of breaking the laws by which we have willingly chosen to exist. By the will of your victim – and soon to be our newest sister – your punishment is death." Glancing first to the left, then the right, Charles made eye contact with every member of his family. "We must remain always diligent in order to achieve our goals. Keep this day fresh in your minds as a warning." Finally, his eyes came back to stare at Levi. "If he attempts to flee, restrain him."

Charles's regret spread out to the others like a wave. There was no question of whether or not they would follow this latest order if it was deemed necessary, but for now, most of them looked away, unable to watch. Bella did not look away, though she felt guilty when she saw that look on their faces…especially on Charles's…

Levi bared his teeth, growling, as he prepared to fight him – kill him or die trying.

Charles's sadness faded into a hard mask with bared teeth as he began to slowly circle toward the left. Though not as physically powerful as the newborns, Levi was undeniably one of the most talented fighters in the family.

"Duncan, let's not make too much of a scene of this," he snarled at the vampire that he believed would be most likely to offer aid. Fully expecting his orders to be followed, Charles leaped into a frenzied attack.

Duncan's attention returned to the fight upon hearing his name and the summons, and, reluctantly, he came forth from the crowd…

* * *

**_What of Charles's and Levi's coven now?_**

**_And the reasons Charles had for calling Levi out, as opposed to waiting for Bella to do so?_**


	6. Welcome

**6. Welcome**

**

* * *

**

"Is she there?" Jasper asked.

The blonde was on edge, but not half so much as Edward. Both sets of narrowed eyes stared past the windshield at the buildings that had recently come into view.

Edward concentrated, sifting through the quiet humming noise that only he could hear…picking out one voice, letting it fade into the background when he realized that it was the wrong one, and then picking out another…until he finally found the one that he was looking for. He listened.

Charles was listening, too – wondering how much time he had left.

* * *

Though his mind was aggressively searching for much–needed information, Charles's eyes were as passive as ever, and still gazing at Bella. Finally, his search came to an end. There was Edward, not terribly distant physically – and already present mentally.

* * *

"_How much time? Charles, for harming Bella, you have very little time left. Minutes if you're lucky…seconds if you're not."_ Edward's telepathic message was literally dripping with dark tendrils of hatred.

Without even a twitch of his lips, Charles responded, _"Well, dear Edward, you have even less time…regardless of your luck."_

A sudden, violent growl echoed around him (though the family members who were currently saying anything were speaking in tones too low for Bella to hear), and Edward threw open the driver's side door, launching into a sprint –

Charles had to decide nearly instantly. Technically, he could sink his teeth into Bella in a fraction of a second. However, doing so unexpectedly would almost definitely scare her off – making her of little use in the future. Besides, playing with Edward was always well worth the effort. _"You had best slow down. Else, you risk your life – and quite possibly the life of _our_ dear Bella. You know how newborns get when they smell blood."_

Edward stopped where he stood – still many yards away, near the edge of the forest. Yes, he knew – she would be dead inside of a minute, all of them fighting over her…but would Charles really allow that?

"_You wouldn't do that to her_," Edward said. "_She's an innocent_."

There was no response.

Alice and Jasper caught up with him then. Alice was carrying Hayden, who had never been frightened of her before now, but had most definitely been upset by her inhuman speed.

"What's wrong with you, Edward?" Alice demanded. "What is he thinking about?"

Spinning around, Edward's eyes locked onto Alice. Within them, emotional pain and frustration were obvious, though his face was as emotionless as granite. "It's not what's wrong with me. It's Charles. And it's Bella. He's threatening to hurt…perhaps kill her if we attempt to intervene. And Bella – the others believe that she _wants_ what Charles is offering."

"And what _is_ that?" Jasper asked.

"To turn her. First into a vampire, then into a fanatic - one of his own family. We have to stop him from biting her." Edward spun back around to glare in the direction of Bella, Charles, and their situation. "If nothing else, we have to ensure that she remains _our_ Bella." The last he muttered beneath his breath, a forced reminder that the worst could happen despite their efforts.

"Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?"

"Jasper's right," Alice said. "There's three of us against eleven of them. Even if we could get there before he throws her to them, the fight would be over rather quickly. We have to go back."

* * *

A match was struck, lit, and then thrown on top of several twitching stone fragments…and then another…and another. Eight matches began to swiftly disintegrate Levi's scarcely recognizable remains. Bella stared down at them for a moment – watched as their movement quickened, and then ceased entirely – and then glanced over at Charles. He was looking back at her. She crossed the room to stand next to him again.

"Why did you tell him that?"

The others looked over at them.

Charles hid his frustration well, though slight confusion spread across his features. Bella's clouded mind would cause him no end of trouble. He hoped that her assets would more than counterbalance. "Why did I tell him what, milady?" Time was of the essence, but alienating Bella was the last thing Charles wanted to do.

"That I'm your newest sister," Bella clarified. She was, for the most part, curious – she tried to shrug off all of her suspicion, because it would just be stupid to think that he'd really meant that.

"You will be our newest sister – that is, if you so desire." His eyes led hers to view what was left of Levi. "You know how much danger you could be in if you remain mortal. I'm sure that Edward has explained it to you before – it's your scent that we find so very attractive." Charles turned back to regard Bella. "What is your decision, milady?"

"Oh – you mean, do I want to be a vampire?" Bella said, all but the lightest traces gone now. She smiled a little. "Yeah, definitely. I've been asking Edward to do it for almost two years now…"

"Bella, believe me, if one of mine could be so tempted to attack you, others will be too. And it's not just your safety that you should think of. What will happen to your family if you are killed by a ravenous vampire?"

"_Do you think any of us want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?"_

It was almost physically painful to imagine Esme's reaction…Alice so heart–wrenchingly miserable that it would be all one could do not to throw their arms around her...Emmett wouldn't be laughing much then…and Carlisle and Jasper…Would Rosalie miss her at all? Edward would. Hayden would be the only thing stopping him from going to Italy.

"They would be devastated, wouldn't they?" one of his family supplied.

Though he was smiling happily internally, Charles put his extensive experience to good use. His expression was thick with concern for Bella and her family. "Milady, what is your desire?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.

She had made Edward a promise – a promise she didn't think it was wise to keep. A few more months? In a few more months, she could be dead. Someone else could attack her, completely without warning, and next time…what if there wasn't anyone around to save her? What if this was it? What if this was her last chance – her only chance? After a long moment's hesitation, she answered, "Do you really think you can do it?"

Charles nodded once, full of confidence. "A single bite from me, and the venom shall do the rest. My will should be stout enough to control whatever violent urge that I might experience – and if not, two of our brothers will be present to restrain me." He motioned to the male veterans. Bowing slightly before Bella, he asked quietly, "A mere second is all that is required; are you prepared?"

Bella visibly paled at the vivid memory of her almost–transformation – lying on the floor of the ballet studio, feeling as though someone had taken one of those matches and was holding it against her palm…the pain spreading throughout her entire being…screaming in anguish…and that was within the first few minutes. The transformation lasted for days on end.

"Not at all," she replied. "Go ahead."

As his selected pair stepped to flank him, Charles gingerly wrapped his fingers around Bella's left forearm. "Welcome to the family, Bella Cullen," he whispered before plunging his lips toward her pale wrist.

* * *

**_What did you think of Charles's warning to Edward? Of his final comment to Bella, before he bit her?_**

**_And what do you think that Edward meant by 'fanatic'?_**


	7. Seven Hours

**7. Seven Hours**

* * *

Though the motion was of blinding speed, the actual bite was surprisingly gentle.

His hands began to quiver, and then his arms and his torso; the motion was barely perceivable, but still present. With a slight snarl, he began to sink his teeth further into her flesh. The flavor of her blood was almost heavenly, so much sweeter than anything that he was used to...

She was sure that she would be terrified by this if she hadn't been in so much pain – scared that even though he had wanted to protect her before, he would kill her now. She had almost completely forgotten about his backup plan until they held him in restraint and forcibly pulled him back.

Despite having personally devised the backup plan, the two pairs of iron hands upon his upper arms caught Charles completely by surprise, and, instinctively, he began to struggle – Bella's blood affected all of his senses, driving him nearly insane with desire. Fortunately, Duncan and Samuel resolutely and successfully restrained him.

Moments later, Charles finally managed to compose himself. He sighed, and bowed his head in frustrated shame. "My apologies, dear Bella. It seems that I vastly underestimated your allure."

Bella could hardly hold it against him – when a vampire smelled blood, vegetarian or not, it became nearly impossible to stop themselves from feeding on it. Tasting it had the same effect…only it was worse then. She forgave him nearly instantly.

Her skin warmed, a low, tolerable burning sensation – a fever – branching out from limb to limb. She knew that she only had minutes, or maybe she only had seconds, each of them counting down to the most miserable three days of her entire existence. . .

"You'll want to lie down," Duncan advised her calmly.

Else, she would collapse to the floor where she stood.

* * *

With a sudden, violent motion, Edward's elbow slammed into the passenger door, flinging it open – and forcing Alice to counter the sudden drag toward the right. Jasper reacted nearly as quickly as Alice, snatching Edward by the shoulders and forcibly jerking him back into the vehicle, against the seat. "What are you doing, Edward? What's going on? Tell us so that we can help you." Calm radiated from him, subtly encouraging Edward to cooperate.

Edward jerked himself away from Jasper's clutch, and spun to glare at him. "We have to go back now – as quickly as possible. Charles is turning Bella; he just bit her."

Jasper's expression changed from frustrated to stunned. He remembered the last time that something like this had happened, two years ago. They hadn't arrived on the scene with much time to spare, but in the end, it hadn't been needed. . . He looked at Alice. "Can we get there in time to save her?"

Alice bit back her natural response, and shook her head sadly. "There is a chance that we might arrive there in time, but the chances that we'll be able to save her are rather slim. Charles is still there with his entire coven, and as we established before, the odds are definitely not in our favor." Though she wanted as much as Edward to rescue Bella, someone needed to consider the logic. "Edward, you know that I want to save her. I just don't know if that would be possible." Her voice was nearly cracking with emotion.

"Reasoning with him is out?" Jasper's gaze returned to Edward.

"No one can reason with Charles." Edward's response was abrupt and full of frustration. He recalled how stubborn Charles had been – it was the main reason for their split in interests eighty years ago. Though he desperately wanted to charge back to rescue Bella, he forced himself to hold still.

"But why?" Alice asked.

And why did he hate him so much?

"Now isn't the time to discuss this! Bella's humanity is slipping away as we speak. We have to do something," Edward snarled as he slammed his clenched fist into the door, crushing the armrest and denting the lining into the metal exterior.

Suddenly, Jasper was holding a small silver phone. He dialed a number in seconds, and there was scarcely time for a 'hello' on the other end before he was explaining their entire situation to Carlisle and Esme. "Tell Emmett and Rosalie," he said. "Tell them we need their help."

* * *

The moaning and fast, harsh breathing steadily increased in volume. Even from the kitchen, Charles and his family could hear Bella's extremely painful – and soon to be intensely vocal – turning, and in an attempt to ignore it and pass the time, they sat around a large wooden table, listlessly playing cards.

A turning wasn't a particularly enjoyable time, not for anyone. If it weren't for Charles' order to stay in the building for 'safety reasons' (he hadn't taken the time to explain what exactly the reasons were), they would have avoided the audible range all together.

Charles especially. Causing a human pain, however non–fatal and necessary that pain might be, did not sit well with his conscience. He attempted to brace himself - after all, he was only about to feel worse.

Elizabeth's younger sister Jessica glanced at the clock suspended near the back door. The next day wasn't far off. Hopefully it would prove more normal – her family might not survive another day like this completely intact. A particularly loud gasp broke her train of thought. Sighing, she returned her attention to the cards.

Not long now before the screaming would begin.

"You may as well get used to it," Janet said matter–of–factly (though there was a hint of a sigh), looking at the hand displayed in front of her.

"One down, three billion to go," Jesus agreed.

"And at three or four a year, that's…" Mary – the redheaded girl with orange-red eyes – trailed off, disliking the statistics and conclusion that she had come up with. She glanced at Charles.

Jack laughed. "We'll have been so dead by then, it's insane."

"…That isn't good," Mary finished, looking at the table again.

"Okay, so we could pick up the pace a bit–"

Bella's first tormented screams pierced the relative calm, and some of them looked in the living room's direction while others stared ahead and cringed.

Samuel gave Charles a comforting pat on the shoulder. "She's going to be okay."

Charles knew that, but it was still good to hear.

Mary quietly attempted to continue the conversation. "To what? Eight or nine a year? That's still pathetic…"

"Just until we have enough to get rid of the Volturi," Jack assured her. "Then we can turn eight or nine thousand a year if we want to."

* * *

Two of their number stood guard in the living room, at the foot of the sofa that Bella lie on. The sunlight streaming through the windows was fading fast.

Duncan sighed, and frowned at Elizabeth. "I'm actually hoping that the Cullens try something – watching over her is a little boring, do you know what I mean?"

Elizabeth shook her head, giggling slightly. "Yeah, you hope that now – but just wait until they actually do." She glanced exaggeratedly at her watch. "You've got about seven hours to enjoy your boredom."

* * *

Seven hours.

It had been random; Elizabeth had only been teasing Duncan. . .but it really didn't sound like such a terrible idea. Charles considered it while he listened to the others – they were bored, as well. . .annoyed. . .anxious. . .but surely they could handle seven more hours of this, and then they could leave, miles away from the audible range in minutes, and more entertained than they had been in months.

Mary tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind her left ear, rose from her chair, and began to walk gracefully toward Charles. Her bright eyes swept over him, gathering information about his mood and possible intentions; though she was unable to read his thoughts, she had been with him long enough to learn his body language. She kissed him lightly on the neck, and whispered into his ear, "What is your plan, dear?" The question came with an urging that only she could evoke.

Charles looked at her out of the corner of his eye, and gave her a small half-smile. "Who said I had a plan?"

He resisted the urge. . .for now. Once they were away from the others, she could request of him what she wished – '_Come on. I want to know. Tell me_.' He told her nothing.

"No one," Mary answered, smiling back. Their steadfast resolves warred. "If these past three months have taught me anything – besides, of course, that my family could have been a lot weirder – it's that when you're thinking, you're usually planning. . .and it has something to do with her?" she guessed. He didn't miss the undercurrent of jealousy in her casual voice.

"We're going to kill him!" Jesus exclaimed cheerfully.

Charles shot him a dark look. "Ruin everything, why don't you?"

Jesus laughed and gave him a thumbs-up, and while he was distracted by this, Mary prompted him a second time.

"Alright, alright!" Before she could force him to say something that he didn't want to just yet, Charles cleared his throat loudly, claiming the attention of everyone that was packed into the kitchen. "As all of you should know by now, we are currently in the process of acquiring a rather talented young lady to our cause. Considering her current abilities, I believe that she will be an asset. However, as with any bargain, there is a catch." He paused dramatically, using his gaze to direct their eyes toward the window. "There is a certain family of vampires. Though not previously of any great threat to our coven, their nature will force them to champion against our cause now. This family is the sacrifice required for the acquisition of our prize. While she sleeps, our family will hunt. Before she awakens as our sister, her family will die. For the best, the Cullen family will die tonight!"

"It sounds brilliant," Mary told him glowingly. Motivated, he returned his attention to her. "And it would be even better if we could somehow work in a hunting trip. I beg of you."

Charles smiled understandingly – she was a three-month-old newborn who had been shut up in the same house with a particularly appealing human, and under those unpleasant circumstances, she had done exceedingly well. For his sake. He gestured toward the window – the barn wasn't far off, even from a human standpoint. "Go ahead – take your pick."

Mary started to turn to go and do so, but stopped when she realized that he wasn't standing. Surely he was suffering as badly as she was. . .? "You aren't coming?"

"I'm alright," Charles said, and then recalling his lapse earlier, he added as an afterthought, "Yes. . .yes, I'm better now. And as for the rest of you?"

"All of us?" Nadine asked in surprise. She had been certain that Charles would never allow that.

"Including Duncan and Elizabeth. I should be capable of watching over her for five minutes."

Nadine's surprise was mirrored in Elizabeth's fine-lined face. "But, what if...?"

Her murmured question was abruptly interrupted by Duncan's snort. "Fools, every last one of you. Let's eat. Then we hunt and kill. Nothing can happen to this one while so many of us are around. Besides, Charles has a reason for everything." He winked at one of the younger newborns. "Can't have someone taking a little snack before she's able to bite back, now can we?" With that little speech, he strode toward the door - and was the first out of the house.

Mary ghosted through the living room after him and Jack, who edged past her in his impatience. Elizabeth remained hesitant to leave Bella alone - she was still thrashing and screaming, begging for them to kill her. This wasn't worth it.

"Mmm, so appetizing. . .," Mary muttered somewhat sarcastically, cringing, before she exited also.

She shared one of the wolves with Jessica, ignoring its vain struggle and attempts to bite her, and with only half of the share, the fire in her throat was still raging unbearably. . .but all of the other animals in the barn had been paired up and taken.

Upon her return to the house, she changed into another shirt and sat down close beside Charles, despite the noise. It was a fortunate thing that vampires couldn't get headaches. She nudged his arm, and he obediently lifted it and placed it around her shoulders.

Charles leaned over to kiss her cheek, and then paused with his lips barely hovering above her skin. "And now we wait until they get close enough to hunt. Shouldn't be long now, love." His voice was a whisper, inaudible to the rest of the room. With a smile, he kissed her, then closed his eyes in concentration. As soon as any of the Cullens got within range, it would begin.

* * *

. . .Six hours later. . .

* * *

All eleven vampires stood together in the living room, Janet off to the side against a wall, having already resigned to her given post as Guard. They looked around, at Bella, at each other, at the dark window, and at the front door. All of them were ready to leave, including Jesus, who demanded that he not be left behind.

"How can you really expect me to stay and babysit her" – Jesus looked from Charles to Bella, frowning, appearing almost disgusted, although it was not with her, but with the idea - "after all that practice, and everything that you said in there? Hell no! I want to be a part of this!"

Why couldn't Charles tell Elizabeth or Nadine or Jack to stay behind instead? They weren't 'A'-list fighters, so they wouldn't be needed in the fight to come.

A grin spread across Charles's face as he turned to face Jesus full-on. "When you were younger - and not so much of an 'A-list fighter' - did you ever hear of a game called Capture the Flag? Children play it fairly often, and get rather violent at times." He paused for a moment to let Jesus consider. "Well, think of Bella as the 'flag'. If one of those Cullens comes in and carries her out, we lose. And unlike in the childrens' games, we don't get a round two." With a offhand gesture toward Bella's writhing form, he added, "That's how special she is. And that's why I'm having an 'A-list' fighter like yourself guard her. Fail in that, and we lose. Remember that, Jesus, and complete your duty with your best."

When he said it like that, it sounded more like he was being granted a position of honor, rather than a chore or a punishment.

"Okay," Jesus consented now, "but what if they never show up? What if we end up staying here for nothing?"

"It's eleven-thirty," Elizabeth informed everyone, looking away from the kitchen clock.

The collective rise in mood and morale was almost physically tangible.

Charles offered his hand to Mary. "It's time, my love. Let's play." He knew how his love intended to fight, and knew that, to her, it truly was play.

Everyone in the room followed his example in excitement.

"We'll run them down - catch them by surprise before Edward can raise the warning. It'll be over before they know it!" His voice rang out over the accompanying calls of agreement as the increasingly agitated vampires poured out the door.

"Which one should I go for?" Mary asked him seriously on their way out, though she was close to bursting with excitement on the inside.

"I trust you to make the correct decision. You'll probably want either Emmett or Jasper. The first is the large, muscular one - he's the one that'll be fighting like you. The second is the other male - he can rip a newborn apart," Charles called out, surprisingly quietly considering that he was matching the rest of his family for speed as they sprinted toward their destination, and calling out orders as quickly as his lips could move.

". . .And you'll ignore me. Don't forget that," Jesus muttered under his breath, watching them run. He sat down in front of Bella. . .and waited.

* * *

Hours later, Jack snarled as he lashed out at a random tree - one of thousands that he'd seen during the hunt. The viciousness of his blow nearly ripped the tree out of the soil. Though he was the only one to act out, the entire family was feeling that same futile frustration.

"Where the hell are they, Charles?" Jack spun around, snarling and glaring about for the focus of his ire.

Instead of finding Charles, Mary stood directly before him - her eyes steeled and locked upon his.

The dark glower on Mary's face wasn't the only clue for Jack to know that she was angry. Quiet, insistent whispers rumbled incoherently in his mind. His face paled even beyond its normal pasty white as he recalled that those whispers could force him to do absolutely anything. "_Never_! _Never_ speak to Charles with such a tone! You know nothing, and you never will! Your life is his to allow or _end_ at will!" She paused for a moment to allow him to react. "So, do you have a complaint that you want to take up with _me_?"

"No. . .," Jack said meekly, trying and repeatedly failing to maintain eye contact with her. "It's just he promised us a fight. . ." He shot a fleeting glance towards the trees in the distance. "And they're not here. . .kind of seems like a disappointment, a waste of our time. . ."

"I can give you something to fight, if you're that desperate." Her offer was accompanied by a purposeful half-smile intended to unnerve him.

It served that purpose well, and Jack backed away.

Out from behind a tree appeared Charles, having patiently observed their exchange. After swiftly kissing Mary upon her cheek, he motioned with his arm to signal all of the others to gather closer. "As many of you have undoubtedly noticed, the Cullens have managed to elude our hunt. Some might call this a loss, but they couldn't be more wrong. This is our victory. The Cullens have proven themselves weaker than us. So take heart that when they do decide to come for their lost newborn, we cannot lose."

"So we're going home, then?" Mary surmised. Jesus wouldn't have wanted to come along with them after all. "Well, this takes a gigantic weight off of our shoulders as far as killing them goes - they attack us while we're at home, minding our own business and trying to keep her safe, we defend ourselves, they don't relent, and we kill them. She should be able to understand that."

"You have the right of it, mi'love. Though not quite as 'fun', this will end up with the situation much more in our favor - not only will it be easier to assimilate Bella into our family, but killing the Cullens will be that much easier, as well. That said, we need to head back as quickly as possible and set up our defenses. Stay ready for a fight - keep your eyes and ears open." The confidence that was exuding from Charles was almost visible. "Oh, Jack, don't forget to pick up our nice new car on your way home," he called out with a grin, before turning and sprinting toward his domain.

"Of course, master; I'll get right on that."

Mary snarled at him before running after Charles, but as she wasn't going to turn him into her own personal marionette, Jack paid her little attention, lifting the Porsche into the air and carrying it home with Nadine's help.

* * *

_**What did you think of the coven's discussion about their cause?**_

_**What do you think of Charles and Mary's relationship, and why isn't it entirely healthy for her?**_


	8. Special Torture

8. Special Torture

* * *

How long had it been, Bella wondered vaguely.

How long had it been since she had been bitten?

She could summon neither the energy nor the will to care.

It had been less than three full days, that much was (quite literally) painfully obvious – she was still being roasted alive in the deepest, hottest part of hell, whatever place it was that they reserved for special torture – but it had to have been at least two, because she could think through the pain now, think of something else besides it (so many other things besides it), and she could hear, and not only could she hear, she could comprehend. Earlier, there had been several voices in the room, and some beyond it. They were joyful and angry mostly. . .and their words had been so completely irrelevant. She couldn't remember one thing that had been said then, but now. . .

"She's beautiful, Elizabeth," breathed a feather-soft, uncertain female voice.

"More than I am," Elizabeth agreed in a stronger voice, both sad and humored.

Others moved around the room occasionally (to get a better look? More often than not, it sounded as though they were coming closer to her).

"I'll bet three hours." The voice belonged to one of the males. "What about you, Sam?"

"Two and a quarter," Samuel answered. "No longer than that. It sounds like the venom will reach her heart any time now."

It was almost over? Then why was she so certain that it was only about to get worse? Was she delirious?

Someone brushed her hair away from her face, their momentary touch surprisingly warm when considering that she was surrounded by vampires. It was room temperature.

Moving ever so slowly, curling a strand of her once sweat-soaked hair around his forefinger, Charles leaned to gaze into Bella's face. "Don't be afraid, my dear." He whispered the words, his breath brushing against her cheek. "All this will be over soon – sooner than you can imagine." His fingers continued to twine her hair into an ever-tightening coil. "And when it is over, you will feel better than ever in your life – and it will remain so for the remainder of eternity." His lips closed the short distance to Bella's face, landing lightly in a tender kiss. "It won't be long before you will be one of our sisters – and one of the most beautiful."

Smiling warmly, Charles quietly withdrew to wait in the kitchen.

Mary watched them from a short distance away in the crowd, forcing herself to remain neutral at first – of course she didn't really like Charles moving so close to her, but there was such a thing as being. . .possessive, over-jealous, ridiculous. . .and she wanted him to see her as none of those. And besides, he wasn't doing anything wrong. In fact, she almost smiled while he spoke to Bella. He was wonderful, a kinder and more considerate boyfriend she could not find. . . Her gaze followed him from the room, and she was only too keen to be alone with him again.

* * *

Charles made his way through the swiftly parting crowd toward his original seat with a grace that would cause jealousy in a dancer. By the time his second step had reached the hardwood floor, his eyes were yet again faintly glazed – he wasn't about to allow Edward to mount a surprise attack. He sank – gracefully as ever – into the chair with a barely audible sigh, and draped his arm warmly around Mary's shoulders.

Mary settled into that position, leaning toward him. She glanced over at his hand, then at the side of his face. It didn't bother her much that he didn't look at her. She looked ahead, smiling and almost purring with contentment. "Are they coming?" she asked, with only a small trace of worry.

A smile twitched at the corners of his lips. "Not yet, my love. Though I sense. . .Edward, listening to me. They fear an attack from us." The twitching smile blossomed into a full one. "They're still far enough away to make my job. . .slightly difficult." Charles's eyelids slid closed over glazed eyes, fully cutting out all distractions from his mind.

"When they realize we won't attack, then they will attack us. . .won't they?" Mary leaned in closer to him without waiting for an answer, kissing him.

And even with his ability to read minds, Charles was distracted – and therefore extremely surprised by the sensuality of it. "Well...uh...yes, they probably will attack us." His response was uncharacteristically hesitant, not having fully recovered from her kiss and current proximity.

There was still no reason to worry. He could handle it. They all could. In fact, this was good news – wasn't an attack what they had been hoping for?

Mary smiled upon realizing this. "Relax," she insisted, and began to trace his jaw line with the tip of her index finger, knowing full well how responsive he would be.

A wide, full-lipped smile spread across his face as her light touch sent off a myriad of tingling sensations. Momentarily extremely distracted, his concentration on the Cullens' whereabouts slipped.

Mary was purring, she was so pleased with Charles's reaction – many weeks had passed, and he still refrained from attempting to resist her charms. A delicate smile of her own spreading, she leaned in closer, intending to increase their pleasure, and slowly, lovingly, her lips pressed against his jaw – her teeth sinking slightly into his skin.

* * *

The white fire retreated backward through Bella's veins, numbness liberating her inch by inch. Her hands, arms, and entire lower half were pain-free at the end of two hours. . .because the fire had decided to convene in her throat and her chest instead. This was the final stretch, and the – her – coven waited with impatience, and wide-and-bright-eyed eagerness and curiosity, as her heart rate audibly soared, as her heart itself vainly attempted to fight off the foreign disease that was trying to shut it down. . .

After that, they could no longer focus on her, however. They – especially those who had been most ready for the fight – could not help but spin in the direction of the front door which had been forced from its hinges, and now lay in a shatter on the wooden living room floor. They could only focus on that, the menacing predatory forms that suddenly filled the space that it used to occupy, and on protecting her. . .one of their own.

The first form to fully materialize out of the darkness was Emmett's, who immediately charged into the thickest knot of them. Slightly smaller, but no less deadly, the remaining Cullens poured into the room like quicksilver (all of them save Alice, who had been elected to remain behind to protect young Hayden), and much like quicksilver, they moved quickly and silently, attacking with neither warning nor remorse. All was chaos within the house as Esme and Edward charged toward Bella, intending to drag her to safety. The others moved frantically, attempting to distract their opponents just long enough.

Where in the hell was Charles at, Jesus wondered, as he quickly assumed position in front of Bella, glowering and preparing to tear both of the mature vampires apart. Where was Mary, for that matter, helping him with this? Why hadn't Charles seen this coming and rallied them for it? None of them were prepared, but they were jumping into the fight headfirst anyway. "Jess'," Jesus called into the crowd, "do me a favor, and take care of one of them!"

With a slight nod of understanding, Jessica quickly stepped to the side and slid from view. The invisibility that was her natural gift prevented Esme from realising her danger until it was too late. Snarling, she collapsed to the floor and began struggling, trying to loosen the iron grip around her throat.

* * *

A snarl marred her lips as Mary spun from Charles to glare at the intruders. That Charles had missed sensing their arrival was evident, and she was intuitive enough to grasp that she was probably the cause of his distraction. Not willing to dwell upon her mistake – which was not the fact that they were here, but that her family wasn't ready for them – Mary decided to try and redeem herself. Based upon a quick scan of the Cullens, she chose the one that had the most potential. (Emmett or Jasper?) A sly smile and blink later, and Emmett's violent intents were turning toward Jasper instead of his initial unfortunate victim.

* * *

Wherever he was, Charles would probably want to kill him for this later, but it was his own fault for not being there to participate. "Okay," Jesus said to Edward, "then you're mine."

Two of the Cullens squaring off across the room caught his eye (Emmett's previous opponent Nadine backed away, grateful – Mary had come to help), and he was distracted for only a second, before he forced himself to focus and attacked. Edward was already three miles ahead of him.

* * *

In that moment of absolute chaos, of driving anger and suppressed panic, Bella's heart lost the fight at last. It sounded one last time, and then the steady rhythm that Edward had grown so accustomed to over the years was silenced forever. It was over now. She had her eternity.

Bella opened her eyes, wondering what everyone was shouting and snarling about, and was stunned by the answer that her perfect, vivid sight provided. The covens were fighting. . .Someone was being ripped apart by Edward, who was simultaneously being attacked by some unseen force (Jessica tried desperately to save her friend) that Esme was trying to get ahold of. Jasper and Emmett were fighting, though Jasper was more often trying to stop him – why wouldn't Emmett stop?

And Charles was coming towards her.

"What's going on with them? What happened?" Bella asked him, standing.

A warm smile spread across his face, seeming extremely natural despite its forced beginnings. "Come, Bella, quickly now. We must get you somewhere safe." His hand closed around her upper arm, and softly began to lead her away. "The Cullens attacked without warning. They thought you in danger – and were right, though not in the way they think. I would explain the situation to them fully, but their sudden attack has put you in danger. If anything were to happen to you...Edward would not take it kindly." He spoke and moved with a calmness that belied all the disorder and violence around them. This and his speed of action succeeded in evading Edward's notice – for the moment.

"They won't attack me, and once I explain everything to them, they won't attack any of you either."

Or, at least, they wouldn't destroy any of them; only a small handful were still fighting.

Charles frowned as he slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid of what would happen if that failed to succeed. I would be much happier to know that you were safely away from the violence. Once you are, I will personally talk with Edward. If anything happened to you in all of this, he would hate me forever. Please, let my experience carry this business to a safe conclusion."

Though he maintained eye contact the entire time, Charles continued to lead Bella toward the back door. The only things keeping her calm and moving were his body language and seemingly obvious grasp of the situation.

Bella glanced back toward the living room. She heard still more snarls and pained shrieks. But she allowed Charles to lead her onto the covered back porch, and down the steps to the surrounding field.

Charles allowed himself a single piercing glance back into the interior before the door snapped closed, separating the roiling melee from themselves – at least for the time being. The flow of battle seemed to be slowing, turning against the coterie. They would manage for a bit, but something had to upset the equation soon.

Damn the Cullens. Their abilities and loyalty were quite respectable, but their meddling was pushing his feeling of them toward intense dislike, if not hatred. A swift sigh steeled his emotions and countenance before Bella could grasp his burgeoning aggressiveness.

"Bella, mi'dear, you should find yourself quite safe within the barn there." He crisply gestured toward the structure of interest. "Please close yourself there and wait until I return. Feel free to feed upon one of the livestock within – I am sure that your thirst is making itself known by now. I shall return when everything has calmed to a level of general safety." The words were spoken with only a hint of hurried worry, as carefully measured and calculated as ever.

She gave the barn a long, uncertain stare, as though she wasn't sure that going inside was such a good idea – especially not alone. What else was waiting? What if this was some sort of trap? She reclaimed her arm and took a few steps backward.

"Bella. We haven't the time for uncertainties. If I don't return quickly enough, some may be permanently damaged." He had to work surprisingly hard to keep the frustration from his voice. Though definitely hoped for, Bella's retention of her uncommon ability into vampirism was annoying on a very personal level. "The barn is safe and the misunderstanding will be remedied as soon as you help me protect you."

Though concern was still very much evident on her features as she studied him, the prospect of having someone else's harm, or worse, on her shoulders was enough to make her turn away and begin walking slowly toward the barn; she would make sure to give it a thorough inspection before going inside.

She glanced back at him frequently, making sure he kept his distance and didn't try to attack her.

She came within a few feet of the barn, and quickly circled it, searching for anything out of place. Though she heard nothing but trapped and sleeping animals, she smelled the scents of many unfamiliar vampires. So she didn't come any closer.

* * *

As Bella walked toward the barn, Charles began to ease back toward the house and its internal struggles. Brief smiles of assurance flashed across his visage as she glanced back. It took some little willpower to not break into a sprint for the door, though he did hasten his step slightly. If luck was with him, the damage would not be unsalvageable before he arrived.

* * *

Donna and Jessica crouched in a corner, watching as the last members of their family - or their remains - were dragged outside to be burned; lavender smoke rose through the air, visible in the window. Even the front room was thick with its scent. Duncan towered over them, bravely guarding them from the Cullens. But he knew that they were likely about to die.

Vital moments were granted by the distracting nature of Edward snarling at his imposing brother, Emmett. Actually, the intended recipient of the snarling was the small huddled form of Mary. Though Emmett's muscled bulk served as a quite effective shield from both Edward's words and wrath.

"Where did Charles take Bella?" Edward's voice was a mixture of rage and hysteria. Emmett maintained his defensive posture above Mary, the only response to his brother's question a meaningful growl.

Edward froze as he scented Charles re-entering the building, and the object of his focus immediately shifted. He moved toward him, only to be blocked by Emmett as the other Cullens came inside, bewildered by what was happening. "What did you do with her?"

* * *

Bella remained hidden in the dense woods, a short distance from the barn. She listened actively to what was being said.

* * *

Charles took the situation in with a quick glance and longer thought. Mentally nodding to himself, he began to edge around Edward, toward the obviously unnerved Mary. Emmett kept himself squarely between the two telepaths, foiling Edward's attempts to reach Charles. A brief flick of eyes from Duncan to the window behind informed the underling of his orders. Though Emmett's bulk blocked his line of sight, Edward clearly heard the thought in Charles's mind. Before he could utter a warning, Charles pleasantly responded to his question with an open smile. "She is safe. And not within your grasp, Edward. You can't even sense her, and we both know it. If you want her back, you have to play my game."

Duncan reached down and grasped Jessica's arm. As he began to pull her to her feet, she stood, and then so did her mother. They followed him, running past Emmett, Charles, and Mary to the living room window.

Duncan shattered it onto the porch in one swift blow before he pulled Jessica over the sill, and Donna leapt over. They climbed the railing and raced across the field.

Jessica didn't dare look back. But she heard more footsteps in the grass. The Cullens were coming after them. She tried to run faster.

_I've been playing your game for days,_ Edward said. _And in case you haven't noticed, it's over now._ He gave a gesture to the empty room.

A victorious smile spread across Charles's face. "The game is indeed _almost _over." His hand swept to encompass the room in an obvious parody of Edward's motion. The room was indeed empty, apart from Edward and his three adversaries. "Your family has fallen for the prey. You're alone against us now. Nothing left to do but finish this. Bella is waiting after all. To the victor go the spoils." The short speech ended on a vicious note, with Emmett charging in to attack and Charles circling for an opening.

In shock, Bella jumped from the low branch she was perched on and ran as fast as she could back to the house - she was there, stepping over the fallen door, in seconds.

The expression of Bella's suddenly present face crushed Charles's hopes and plans. She had heard – she knew. Regardless of what he could say, Bella was lost to his cause, and would more likely than not be after his heart for vengeance.

"Emmett, take Bella to safety," he murmured as he sprang upon Edward.

Mary understood her love well enough to react appropriately – Emmett barreled into Bella, wrapping her into a firm but not quite crushing embrace.

Bella watched with wide red eyes, struggling within Emmett's hold. She didn't want to hurt him; she didn't want it to come to that. But at this point, her instincts were screaming. "What are you doing?" she said, looking up at Emmett. "Let go of me and help him."

A rumbling warning in his chest was the only response Mary allowed Emmett as he pushed to overwhelm her into control. Mary took the opportunity to begin edging toward the open door, doing her utmost to avoid both melees while maintaining concentration on Emmett.

Charles barely slipped his arm from Edward's grasp before it joined the detritus littering the hardwood floor. He couldn't even spare time for a snarl before having to evade another lightning strike. Their twinned power enforced a stalemate – to the temporary satisfaction of Charles, and the complete frustration of Edward.

Emmett quickly and securely wrapped his arms around Bella's head, squeezing. He began to twist it like a stubborn jar lid around her neck. Mary clenched her teeth as she steeled herself.

And when Bella realized what was happening, her eyes widened again, and she screamed and thrashed in panic. She seemed to forget the obvious solution: to take him out before he killed her. Her hands and arms twitched, but stayed at her sides.

Her screams cut off just before her head dropped like a bowling ball. The rest of her followed. She lay motionless.

Charles sighed inwardly. Bella obviously wasn't anywhere near dead, but he hated causing her any more pain than absolutely necessary. Though, considering the massive distraction in Edward's concentration and attention, it very well might have been quite necessary.

Regardless, he capitalized on what little time was given and sprinted for the doorway, hefting Mary onto his shoulder as he slipped past. That left her free to deal with Emmett, who in turn could deal with Edward for what extra time was required for the two of them to make good their escape.

Mary felt her control over Emmett slip, and then die, as though Charles had pulled a plug when he swept her off of her feet without warning. Emmett dropped his aggressive stance, and he looked ahead to Edward, then around the room, disoriented. The battle was over? Where were the other Cullens? Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Jasper? Where were Charles and his coven for that matter? They had all just. . .vanished. And what had happened to Bella?

"Care to fill in a few blanks?" Emmett asked Edward.

Edward took a fraction of a moment to recover before answering, fully intending to order Emmett to follow him outside to deal with the extremist Charles. However, a brief series of thoughts from that same individual widened his eyes and instantly changed his mind.

"Go get the others and tell them to get away from the buildings." The intensity of the order was enough to give Emmett cause to react instantly. As for Edward, he hastily grabbed Bella – all of her – and fled for open ground.


	9. Excerpts

**For anyone who wants to read them, here are some excerpts of Charles's and Edward's argument (removed because of its writing quality or lackthereof, the fault for that being mine).**

**

* * *

**

The chair creaked as Charles balanced it upon the hind legs. "Have you ever considered what could occur if differences were laid aside, and cooperation was fostered? Think of what a nation of vampires could accomplish." The concept was one that he had played with in his mind for years, yet never mentioned it to others until recently.

* * *

_Concerning a comment about the inevitable future shortage of animals for a nation of vampires to feed upon:_

A victorious grin spread across Charles's face. "I've already considered that problem. All that has to be done is to raise animals. There could be a ranch–like setup. What exactly is raised would have to be decided after some experimentation."

* * *

"But why discard it out of hand?" The question carried more emotion than anything else that evening. Charles felt insulted that Edward would disregard his ideas so easily. "In fact, why not do the exact opposite? Imagine taking the far extreme: a nation – or even world – ruled by vampires. Would that not be perfection?"

. . .

Charles maintained his seat, unwilling to spring into a full–scale battle. His posture had little bearing upon his tone, which dripped with venom. "Of course that would be a favor. Place the knowledge and philosophy in leadership positions; that is what Socrates urged hundreds of years ago."

. . .

"First of all, I didn't say that everyone needs to be a vampire. The decision would of course be left to each individual. Secondly – and more immediately important – why do you assume that vampires are damned? Cut that theory out of existence, and everyone is completely happy."

* * *

_Concerning a comment about vampires having no souls:_

Charles flung his hands into the air. "Why is it that nearly every discussion we have, you somehow drag that topic up? I fail to understand how that applies to this argument."

. . .

"Fail, fail, fail. Seems like this talk is just full of fail. As a matter of fact, seems like most of our recent conversations have been all fail." Frustrated, Charles was venting his emotions.

* * *

"Forget it. That sounds so simple." Charles sighed before continuing. "I should forget the things that I truly believe in? That is like me asking you to forget that you're damned."

. . .

Charles shook his head. "I know that you don't like us arguing. But I am sure of my opinions." Reaching down, he scooped up a book and began reading quietly. Perhaps the best idea would be to allow both Edward and himself to calm down.

. . .

Edward's thoughts – being the most prolific in the area – wormed into Charles's mind through the passages of the novel. Normally, he would simply discount most of what his friend thought. However, in light of the recent argument, Charles found it surprisingly hard to let this portion pass without rebuke. Without looking up, he spoke in a flat voice, "Insane. Is that your professional diagnosis, Doctor Masen?"

. . .

"Come now, Doctor – or is it Professor? Whichever, please explain your full diagnosis. What type of insanity are we looking at here? Is it the violent type that has a chance to cumulate in me attacking you? Or perhaps it's the type where I walk out that door and never speak to you again? Then, we of course have the type that ends up forcing you to explode and do what I would have been doing in the second type. Speak up, mister; which one are we looking at?" Charles's voice had taken on an edge of excitement, furthering the barb that he was attempting to thread through Edward.

. . .

"So we're looking at a Type Two, are we? Well, you are the expert in these matters. No sense trying to argue the facts with you, then." Charles paused with a genuine sigh. "I will miss you, though, Edward. These past years have been some of my best. Hopefully we both come out the better for our time together." With that, he stood and walked out.


End file.
